SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) — Simpsonville is buzzing with activity.
Just a few blocks from Main Street, the city’s new municipal complex is under construction.
“This is an investment in the future of our city,” Mayor Paul Shewmaker said.
The municipal complex will be home to a new city hall, municipal and summary court house, police department headquarters and fire department headquarters. Next door, crews have started construction on the reimagined City Park.
“All of it is going to be absolutely beautiful,” Shewmaker said. “This will be the gem of all the parks in Simpsonville.”
Beginning in 2024, the city will begin a project to beautify the downtown area and make it more walkable. They plan to create the Festival Street.
“The blocks of the street between Curtis Street and Trade Street, we currently use for when we have festivals,” Shewmaker explained. “All we’re doing is improving the streetscape and things like way-finding signage and landscaping. Then, we’re going to put up a nice decorative arch. Day to day, it’s going to flow like it does now. When we do have that occasion when we close it to allow pedestrian traffic, it’s just going to be a better place to have festivals.”
The city also plans to improve traffic flow around the downtown area.
“We are going to have three new one-way streets that will make it kind of a loop over about three or four blocks that will go around our downtown,” Shewmaker explained. “It will make it where we have better stacking ability and better turning ability for making a left and right on the two main streets in our downtown.”
Tony Duriea has lived in Simpsonville for several years. He said traffic in the city can be a headache.
“In a small town like this, it was horrendous,” Duriea said. “You can’t get around easily. Traffic gets backed up unnecessarily.”
Shewmaker said the municipal complex is expected to be built in October 2024, and the downtown project will be completed in 2025.
